Chapter 274 – A Request
[Retonicalus?]
No one had spoken that name first before. Or perhaps it had just been so long, it had been forgotten.
Those who once knew that name had already vanished, their traces erased by the flow of countless ages.
[No, the presence is far too faint to be him. Is it him? Or perhaps merely a remnant? Curious. To encounter even a trace of him in this place...]
A massive presence registered within Reto’s perception.
The black entity surrounding Arthur was immense.
The Shadow of the World Tree.
No—this wasn’t the actual shadow of the World Tree.
It had only borrowed the form of the tree’s shadow to appear.
The Shadow King, Shery von Haus.
But it was so vast that Reto hadn’t properly perceived it.
When there was no response, the shadow’s voice echoed again.
[Do you not know me? Or are you pretending not to? No, if you're him, there's no reason to pretend.]
How much time had passed, he couldn’t tell.
In the darkness, Reto could feel the long, almost observational gaze of the king.
After some time—
[So you really are just a remnant?]
For the first time, emotion crept into that cold voice.
It was oddly… deep relief.
[Good. If you were loved by the World Tree, my position would have become complicated. Looks like I won't have to go to war with those beyond the boundary.]
The world was gradually brightening.
Reto’s world began to stir.
His world was awakening.
The being loved by the World Tree.
Reto thought he knew who that was.
[Arthur, awaken.]
He regained consciousness.
The moment awareness returned, the blinding sunlight assaulted him. He raised his hand to shield his eyes and turned his head.
“Huh?”
Between his squinting vision, he saw his fingers—all aligned, intact.
He wiggled them slightly.
All ten fingers had been shattered, and now they were restored, almost as if it had all been a dream.
His body was the same.
The physical overload from Burst Strike, the depleted reserves, even the overburdened heart—everything had returned to normal.
He felt great.
“How much time has passed?”
The breeze that swept by felt refreshing.
Turning his head, he stared absentmindedly at the open window.
A clear, flawless blue sky stretched above.
Looking around, he realized he was inside a small hut, crudely constructed from twisted tree branches.
It must have been made by Elder Medeia, who specialized in wood sorcery.
“Did we succeed?”
Judging by the fact that he was alive, the bomb must’ve been defused, but since he’d blacked out, he had no clue what happened afterward.
What’s the situation outside now...?
‘It always ends with me passing out.’
Battle, then blackout.
Then blackout again. Always blackout.
At this point, blacking out might as well be standard procedure.
He was just thankful he was still breathing.
There hadn't been a single easy battle so far.
“Reto.”
[Speak.]
“Can you tell me what happened after I lost consciousness?”
[Not in detail.]
“Huh? Even if I’m unconscious, can’t you use your senses to observe?”
[My senses were disrupted by the darkness. It seems to be the work of the shadow, but I don’t know why.]
“Shadow? Was there a problem—”
[No.]
Reto’s standard of judgment was Arthur.
If he said there wasn’t a problem, it meant nothing harmful happened to him.
Why the shadow, then...?
He was about to question it, but—
[Everyone is safe.]
Reto’s next words made him abandon the thought.
He could just ask Fenry later about the shadow.
From the brief conversation, it seemed Demtor had fully retreated, and the remaining group was handling cleanup.
But there were no signs of people nearby.
Were they all busy?
He was about to get up when the door suddenly burst open and a familiar face appeared.
“Arthur!”
It was Lily.
Carrying baskets in both hands, she ran in with arms wide open.
Bam—!
“Wait—ugh!”
But Keros leapt before her, and the moment he crashed into Arthur, the breath was knocked out of him.
A horn...?
Aside from looking like a cute Shiba Inu, the massive horn digging into his chest was terrifying.
It hurt.
Arthur grabbed one cheek and yanked hard.
Keros struggled and turned his head away, and in that moment, Lily leapt into his arms.
Perhaps because they had relied on each other to the point of risking their lives, he felt much closer to her now.
“I was worried—you didn’t wake up.”
“How long has it been?”
“Hmm…”
Lily furrowed her brow and raised her fingers one by one, narrowing her eyes and pointing to all ten fingers.
“At least ten days.”
“Ah, I see...”
“You must be hungry, right? I brought bread—hm?”
She turned around, only to find loaves of bread scattered across the floor.
Keros had brought her an empty basket, having dropped everything on the way.
Lily scratched her cheek and began picking up the bread, dusting it off before handing it to Arthur.
“Here. Freshly baked. It’s good.”
“...Looks good. Smells earthy too.”
“Right? Keros, ah! Open wide.”
And with that, she stuffed the dirt-covered one into Keros’ mouth.
Watching this for a moment, Arthur took a bite of the bread.
Surprisingly, it was delicious.
While chewing, he asked:
“Where is everyone?”
“They’re preparing for the ceremony.”
“Ceremony?”
“Wait a sec.”
Lily whispered something to Keros, and upon receiving the message, he dashed out the door, spitting out his bread along the way—probably to tell everyone that Arthur had woken up.
“They haven’t started yet. I really want you to attend too. You’re coming, right?”
Ceremony...
He wanted to ask what kind of ceremony, but the look on Lily’s face darkened at the mention. So, instead of asking, he simply nodded.
“Before we go—may I ask a favor?”
“A favor? What is it?”
“The divine name list.”
Just seeing her made him think of divine names.
It was the most objective way to gauge the flow of the world.
After the victory against Demtor, he wanted to know what had changed.
Lily nodded and pulled out a hand mirror.
Checking divine name information for Arthur wasn’t hard.
There was already someone sacrificing their lifespan in his stead.
“Just yours, right?”
“No. I want the list of everyone nearby with a divine name.”
“...All of them?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm, is that okay?”
Lily lowered the mirror and stared at his chest.
A silent question—can your heart handle it?
Her method of accessing divine name information involved neutralizing the curse of divine names with her own lifespan.
To someone like Reto, an immortal, that was basically free.
But with so many names at once, could Arthur’s body endure the curse all at once?
“Reto, will you be fine?”
[I’m not who I used to be. Do as you like.]
“Are you sure?”
[Have you ever seen me talk nonsense?]
“I believe you.”
His voice had a newfound confidence—there had to be a reason.
Soon after, bursts of divine name light flashed endlessly from the hand mirror.
The divine name lists appeared in real time, then vanished, one after another.
Among them, Arthur spotted the updated version of his own divine name list:
[Arthur Clayton – Divine Hunter (Divine)]
[Third Mental Barrier]
[Siren’s Hymn (Ancient Glyph)]
[Heart of Retonicalus (Sync Rate: 55%)]
[Guide of Other Races]
[Ring of Desire (Survival)]
[Leader of the Hunt (4)]
[Benefactor of the Witches]
[Spectral Art (Enchant)]
[Blessing of the World Tree]
The newly updated divine name list filled his vision.
A great deal had changed.
‘It must be from the battles.’
From the battle at Tobaron,
To the fight against Kamel,
And all the way through Demtor—
It was the result of a long and relentless string of battles.
His allies must’ve undergone big changes too.
His thoughts were interrupted—
Wuuung!
Another light burst from the mirror, and another divine name list appeared.
Arthur refocused his attention—no time for distractions.
“Arthur! This way!”
Lily flung the door open and reached out her hand.
He took her hand and stepped into the outside world.
A small hill stretched wide before him.
Standing at the hilltop, he looked around. To one side, a vibrant green meadow—and in its heart stood the World Tree.
In the daylight, the World Tree no longer looked mystical.
Its gently dancing leaves, kissed by sunlight, created a peaceful rustle.
Closing his eyes and listening to the leaves brush together felt like a mother’s lullaby, soothing the soul.
All worries vanished, and a smile formed naturally.
It was peaceful.
“Hurry! We can’t be late!”
Lily hurried down the hill.
Toward the direction of the World Tree.
As her soft hair fluttered in the breeze and she ran ahead, Arthur simply watched her.
[Lily Base – Witch of the Moonlight (Moonlight)]
[Full Moon’s Talent]
[Curse of the Full Moon – Sloth]
[Cerberus and Hunt are my Friends]
[Great Witch’s Talent]
The word “calamity” was gone from her divine name list.
Originally, she had held [Seed of the Great Witch (Calamity)], but it had blossomed into [Great Witch’s Talent].
And now, [Hunt is my Friend].
Alongside Cerberus, Hunt had been added to her list of allies.
It looked silly, but the meaning behind it was critical.
It meant she had officially joined the Hunt.
It must’ve changed after she saved the witches from Demtor.
What about the Black Star...?
The monster organization headquartered in Prime Root.
He thought about its members.
In the original story, Lily, having inherited the power of the Thousand-Year Tree, would become a Great Witch and a core member of the Black Star.
But now that she had joined the Hunt, a seat had opened.
“No, two seats?”
Following Lily up the hill, he looked up at the World Tree.
That newly born existence had brought huge changes to the story.
Two figures who would now lead the main plot.
Lily, and—
“Oi, just woke up, huh?”
“You still show up unannounced.”
Pointed ears, alluring dark skin, and a lithe figure—the blonde dark elf stood atop the World Tree’s shadow.
Fenry Chaser.
The one who would later manage information for the Black Star, gather the elves in Prime Root, and found the new Black Rose.
Lily and Fenry.
Their shared goal was the death of one man—
Kamel Blazer, the Mad Butcher.
The one responsible for the fall of their homelands—Ordor Forest and Beneta.
But now, with Kamel dead, both their fates had shifted.
Not bad.
He had forged a blood pact with Tobaron, and now, with this battle, had bound the witches too—building toward a greater force.
The beginning was always the hardest. But once a force was established, it became much easier to face the enemies ahead.
Arthur saw hope.
But only briefly.
Behind that hope, sacrifice always lurked.
“You’re not late.”
Elder Medeia greeted him.
Under the warm sunlight shining down through the World Tree, everyone had gathered.
Bud-shaped flower arrangements, beautifully decorated with colorful petals, caught his eye.
On the long line of gravestones, he saw familiar names engraved.
[Elder Punkin]
[Elder Oarla]
[...]
[...]
[...]
These were the ones who had fallen in the battle.
“Let us begin the ceremony.”
Led by Elder Medeia, the witches’ funeral began.
The witches’ ritual for the dead was nothing like the dark or cruel image the world believed.
Rather, it was pure, and beautiful.
Colorful petals were scattered, creating a floral path upon the graves.
So they may walk a good path, see only good things, and go to a good place.
If the mages, or anyone else, saw this—could they still call witches evil?
Human prejudice was truly frightening.
“I leave it to you.”
I was asked to lead the final farewell.
[Benefactor of the Witches]
Among the witches, I had already become something greater than even the Elders.
The funeral ended with me scattering petals before the graves.